Small Victories

Small Victories Hello (again) World! My goal to blog once a week has sadly failed but Ive been really hosed these past 2 weeks. -Freeze- For those of you unfamiliar with the terminology: hosed- (adj): to be completely and utterly floundering in the amount of work you have to do The word itself comes from the fact that people say an education at MIT is like drinking from a fire hose. -Back to story- As school starts to take off, Im slowly settling into a routine at MIT. Psets due every week on Tuesday and Thursday. Tests every couple of weeks (I just took my first couple tests this past week). Papers consistently due every month for my HASS. A million different interesting events happening at all hours of the day that I want to go to. Its now evident how much MIT throws at its students. Id be lying if I told you MIT was easy. Academically and organizationally, MIT challenges me every day. Time has become my currency (much like that new movie, In Time ), and I have to decide how to spend it. MIT is a culture shock for this reason. Im the kind of person who is used to saying yes to new opportunities (Im sure many of you are similar). In the past, I always had time to do X and Y and then pile on Z. But, MIT has so many opportunities that the sheer number is overwhelming. Its not physically possible to be involved in all of them, short of finding a way to clone myself. Plus, the classes are intellectually challenging, the hard psets are capable of replicating themselves when theyre finished (since we have one every week), and studying becomes a strenuous exercise. But Ive discovered that the best way to survive is by recognizing the small victories. [Although Im using this in reference to life at MIT, recognizing small victories isnt something that just applies to MIT, but to life in general. Perhaps its even applicable to those seniors out there who might be starting to feel the weight of college applications on their shoulders.] In order to recognize the small victories: 1. Break down to-do items into more manageable tasks, and recognize when you accomplish each task. MIT homework isnt like high school homework. I always feel like Im never really finished. Now one could think, Okay, on to the next one. But instead I think, Win! Im done with one! Youre awesome for finishing this! 2. Keep things in the right perspective. MIT definitely changed my perspective. The bar here is so much higher than back in high school. The other day when some of my friends and I checked our 7.012 (Intro Bio) test scores           Friend 1: YES I GOT A 65! Friend 2: I GOT A 64!! CLOSE TO AVERAGE!! Friend 1: Man in high school when I got a 95, I used to think, Dang, what did I do wrong? Oh the irony. MIT is hard. Im not going to get As on every test, and thats a) being human, b) being around amazingly smart people, and c) having harder tests. Keeping things in perspective is probably the most important thing I consider when evaluating my abilities. At MIT, a 69 could be an amazing grade. I also recognize that whatever is bothering me at the moment likely wont be my biggest problem in the future. Theres no need to be too stressed. 3. Remember that a life exists outside whatever youre stressing about. Ive already touched on this, but the people that Ive surround myself with make my life a million times better. Whether its making a funny joke during a serious pset session, randomly stopping by our room to serenade my roommate and I, or distracting me with some awesome song that they just found, friends make the bad times bearable. Friendships are one of the most valuable things that you can have. Grades (like SAT scores) will be forgotten after time, but friendships and memories last a lifetime. 4. Lastly, dont forget what you will gain from an experience. My friend and I were talking about adjusting to life at MIT, and my friend asked: Friend: What is there to gain from going to MIT? Me: IMMORTALITY. Yes, graduating from MIT will make you live forever. Not like Voldemort. More like Bill Gates. After graduating (although its a little premature to say), I do feel Ill be well equipped to go out and revolutionize whatever field I choose to pursue. I know Ill have the smarts, skills, and mindset that I need to leave a permanent mark on the world. Sometimes, life at MIT will feel like youre constantly being followed around by a storm cloud. But its at these times that you have to find these small victories such as having really incredible friends or finishing that seriously annoying pset question. You will make it through stressful times. After all, you cant have a rainbow without the rain.